Hippo Birthday!

Good afternoon everybody!

I'm still doing my happy dance after posting my news about being chosen as part of the Design Team at

Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog.

I did manage to create a card in between dance steps today...

The challenge this week at FCCB is to create a "shaped card".

I haven't made many of these and thought I would give it a try.

This card is from "Birthday Bash" and I think it turned out so cute!

Recipe:

*Hippo - use the Card/Tag feature on page 32.  I used the fit to page button and the card was cut at 4 1/4".

*Daisy necklace - EK punch with Stickles in the center of each flower

*Ice cream cone - I used Stickles and Glossy Accents, then pop-dotted to card.

*Sentiment - My Pink Stamper

Inside of card

*I used the "Phrase" feature on page 32.

*White Gel Pen for stitch marks

Even with the phrase, there is plenty of room to add a hand-written message!

Hope you enjoyed my card!

Until next time,

Tanya

Happy Monday Morning!

Good Morning!

I hope your day is off to a great start!

I am so happy that it is finally Monday. And, what's so good about Monday?.... well....today is the day that I am able to share my exciting news with you.  Robin from Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog

has seen fit (bless her heart) to include me as part of her fabulous Design Team!



How cute is that?

As many of you know, I have been writing the Fantabulous Friday segments for the past few weeks, but this is my first adventure as part of a DT. I am very excited (and very intimidated) to be working with this amazing group of ladies!  The talent on Robin's team just bubbles over each and every week.  I hope I am going to be able to keep up with these talented ladies!  And, I hope that you will pop over and visit

FCCB whenever you can.  There is always something new and exciting going on each day...

Sunday Spotlight

Challenge Me Monday

 Quick Tip Tuesday

Wednesday Winners

Thursday Tutorials

Fantabulous Friday

Scrappin' Saturday 

I really hope you will join in on all the fun...and hey....leave me a comment when you stop by...I need all the encouragement I can get :)

Thanks for stopping by today and letting me share my news with you.  It's nice to have a place to share news with others who are just as "paper-obsessed" as I am!

Until next time,

Tanya

Baby Boy Yates....

Hello everyone!

Hope you have enjoyed your weekend.  Mine was very busy and over too quickly...sigh.  I did manage to get upstairs for a bit tonight after chuch and put a baby card together.  A very good friend is about to become a grandmother for the first time.  I am so happy for her and her family...there is nothing like being a "grand"!  The new baby is due in another month and his name is Yates.  Don't you just love that name?

Here is my card for Yates....

 

Sorry...this picture isn't the best...my lighting leaves a lot to be desired!

This card will be entered into the Super Sketchy Sunday Challenge at 365 Cards.

Recipe:

*Paper - "Playful Blue" Paper Pad by Martha Stewart

*Sailboat - "New Arrival" cut at 2 1/2 inches

*Letters - Nate's ABCs cut at 3/4 inches using shadow feature

*Border - Martha Stewart punch

*Button - Martha Stewart punch

*Blue and white mats - Nestabilities

Thanks for stopping by!

Until next time,

Tanya

All For Aidan

My card for Aidan

Please continue reading to learn about this sweet little boy!

You can go to Scrappin KY Momma to get updates about Aidan as they are posted.

All for Aidan

     Aidan is a sweet lil 2 year old who was recently diagnosed with T Cell Leukemia. On Wednesday, he had a port installed in his chest, spinal tap, bone marrow, and chemo in his spine. He did GREAT! This lil guy is such a trooper.  His parents have accepted that their BABY has Leukemia.. NOT the easiest thing to accept, but their faith in God and their support system have kept them going. T-Cell Leukemia has a high cure rate although chemo will be continued for quite a while. Lil Aidan LOVES mail, like any 2 year old does. So....

   I need your help. Let's get our crafting supplies out and send this lil guy some LOVE!!!  Pass this on to all your crafty friends. I think we can all take a couple minutes and make something special for him that will bring LOTS of smiles and he can look at over and over.

   Please mail your cards to:     AIDAN 

                                          c/o Tanya Stilwell

                                           P.O. Box 143 

                                        Cecilia, KY  42724

                                          

A picture is worth a thousand words....right?  

Counting my blessings...until next time,

Tanya




   

Imagine More Cards

Hello everyone!  I hope you have been enjoying your weekend.  Mine has been busy so far, with very little crafting time.  But that's ok...we have been having fun with Emma and truly enjoyed taking her to the movies last night.  We went to see Gnomeo and Juliet.  It was a fun movie and the music (which was by none other than Elton John) was awesome!

I did manage to sneak a few minutes in my craft corner this afternoon while Emma was outside with her Papa!  I have really neglected my Imagine lately and decided to spend some time playing with my new cartridge "Imagine More Cards".

I was able to print and cut out everything while Emma was occupied and then assembled everything a bit later.  This is what I came up with....

I layered this design from page 2 and cut it at 3 inches.  I pop -dotted the bottom sections together for some dimension.  Using a couple of MS punches for the bottom border and a hint of "lace" seemed to dress up the card a bit.  And, I added a few pearls for the finishing touch!

For this card, I used the first design on page 2.  I layered the pieces and cut everything at 3 inches

I also printed a full page with this gorgeous chocolate brown print!  I love the way it turned out.

A bit of Diamond Stickles on the cake and some crinkle ribbon is really all this card needed.

These cards were really quick to make and I think they turned out pretty cute.  My few minutes with my Imagine have inspired me to spend more time using this machine and to really learn just what it is capable of!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and I'll be back soon...thanks for stopping by!

Until next time,

Tanya



A Thing of Beauty Award

I recently received this lovely award from a very sweet lady who creates beautiful things.

I am very touched to know that Glenda from Glenda's Cards thought of me in such a kind way.

This award was created by Grace of Gracenotes For Today.

There are a few rules that go along with accepting this award:

1.  You can right click on the award, save it to your desktop and add it to your blog.

2.  Choose 5 recipients and list them.  Give a reason why you think their blog or work is special.

3.  List 5 things about yourself including one thing you love about crafting.

One small request. It is not a rule but Grace would greatly appreciate a link back to her blog attached to the award badge when you display it on your site. Grace has kept the requirements few and simple so people will not feel it is a chore to accept the award. It is meant to be fun and encouraging! Since there are only 5 recipients each time, select them carefully and thoughtfully.

Choosing only 5 recipients is not an easy task.  I have many, many blogs that I follow and many crafters that I admire so much.  Here are 5 blogs that I have enjoying visiting with lately:

Bren at Bren's Designs  because of her uplifting and encouraging spirit and lovely, lovely work.

Theresa at Scrappers Anonymous for her fun-loving attitude and unique creations.

Sandee at Inspired to Create for her very kind comments and unlimited creative imagination.

Amy at Scrapping Mommy because she just always seems to be happy and her work is inspiring to me.

Paula at Craft With Bee because I stand amazed at the number of challenges she enters and the fact that each and every card she puts together is so creative.

Now, for 5 facts about me...hmmmm....

1. I have been married for 30 years to the love of my life...he is amazing and so good to me.

2.  We have 2 grown-up children.  Christopher is 29 and Matthew is 28....they are each a blessing to me.

3.  We have 2 WONDERFUL grandchildren.  Emma is 6 years old and Blake is almost 2.

4. I work with the Children's Ministry at our church and will be starting on this summer's VBS program soon.

5.  The only hobby I enjoy more than paper crafts is.....shopping for paper crafts!

Thanks again to Glenda for thinking of me!

I hope you will visit each of the blogs I've listed...I know you will enjoy the time you spend with them!

Until next time,

Tanya

Snappy Birthday to You!

Good Morning!

Yippee...it's Friday...hope you have wonderful weekend plans!  My sweet Emma (granddaughter) is spending the night with us tonight and I know I will have a busy weekend!  I think we may go see the movie

Gnomeo & Juliet...anyone seen this yet?  Looks like a cutie.  I'm thankful she isn't old enough to want to see

Justin Bieber....I'm NOT ready for that yet...lol!

I finally broke out my Birthday Bash cartridge last night...wow...what a fun cart!  I've had this one for awhile and just haven't had a chance to play with it (story of my life).

I'm trying to build up my stash of birthday cards and this is the perfect cart for doing just that....

 

Isn't this just the cutest little guy?

Recipe....

* Paper - from a stack that no longer has a cover...sorry

*Turtle - Birthday Bash cartridge page 47 cut at 3 inches

*I ran the body of the turtle through my Cuttlebug using the Sizzix "Burlap" folder, then inked him up with Ranger's "Shabby Shutters" ink

*I used my white gel pen to add stitching around his shell and dots on the shell

*Black background mat was cut with Nestabilities "Small Deckled Mega Rectangles" die

*Tag was cut with Tags, Bags, Boxes and More cartridge at 1 3/4 inches and stamped with a

My Pink Stamper stamp, I used a red gel pen around the edges

*Button and rickrack are from my stash and I found the Memory Thread at Michael's

I love this Memory Thread....thanks again to Joy Sykes for introducing me to this stuff!

Well...hope you enjoyed my card.  I've got to get moving and get a few things done before Emma gets home from school.  I hope you enjoy your weekend!

Until next time,

Tanya

Liebster Blog Award

I am so happy to have received this award from a fellow crafter!

Rae from Wahoo Crafts (who is seriously sweet) sent this to me today.

Not only is she sweet, she does beautiful work and you really need to stop by her blog for a visit.

The Liebster Love Blog Award is designed to recognize bloggers who have fewer than 300 followers, but put much love into their work.  To accept the award, I am to spread the love by recognizing up to five blogs whose work I follow and admire -- sort of a chain letter of love!

Now, this is no easy task as I follow many, many blogs and am constantly amazed by what I see.

Here are the 5 blogs I chose:

http://inthebigbluehouse.blogspot.com/
http://cricutmimi.blogspot.com/
http://greengirlscraps.blogspot.com/

http://meemeescreations.blogspot.com/
http://scrap-obsessed.blogspot.com/

I know that if you visit these ladies, you will understand why I passed this award on to them!
They are all very creative and I love to visit their blogs!

Thanks again Rae!

Until next time,

Tanya

 

How about a little "Girl Talk"....

Good afternoon to you!  Hope you are having a great day.

I have been working on "boy stuff" for this coming Friday's Fantabulous Friday at FCCB.

I hope you will be able to join me for my segment this week!

Anyway, I was really beginning to feel a bit deprived from all things PINK....

so, I thought it might just be time to take part in a challenge or two.

I came up with this GIRLY card and will enter it into two challenges...

How GIRLY is this?

It was really hard to get a good photo and this was the best I could do.  The colors just looked washed out not matter what lighting I tried. This has a few shadows in the photo, but best shows the true HOT PINK!

Here's another shot...

Recipe:

* Paper - the black and pink are from Paper Studio, the printed paper has been in my paper stash for years.

* Telephone - Cut from Cricut's "From My Kitchen" at 1 1/2 inches and covered in Glossy Accents

*Black mat - Nestabilities - "Beaded Circles"

*Pink mat - Nestabilities - "Labels 6" , Recollections gems

* Sentiment - computer generated

* Black border - MS punch

* Pink border - "Polka Dots" Cuttlebug folder

I will be entering this card for the following challenges...

My Sheri Crafts - This week's challenge is "All About Girls".

and

Tuesday Morning Sketches - this week's sketch...

Well, I guess it's time to get back to the "boy stuff".  Had my pink quota for the day!

Enjoy the rest of your day and stop back by when you can.

Until next time,

Tanya





Hoppy Birthday!....

Good Afternoon!

I hope your day has been a pleasant one so far.

Another lovely day here.  It's 76 degrees with a slight breeze.  I have my windows open to let some of that  fresh air into my house, and it is sooooo nice!

While enjoying the breezes flowing through my house, I was able to finish a card for this week's

Jitterbuggin' Challenge.

And....here's my card.....

This guy has one of those faces that only his mother could love!

* Paper-I love this paper, it's from DCWV Songbird Stack.

*Frog - Boys Will Be Boys Cricut cartridge cut at 2 3/4 inches.

* I used the Swiss Dots folder on the frog and the Spots and Dots Cuttlebug folder on the background mat.

* Stamp - My Pink Stamper

* Skittles - Recollections (from Michael's)

Here are the rules for the challenge:

Since we are celebrating the birthdays of our presidents this week, let's make some birthday cards. This week, you need to follow the sketch, make it a birthday card, and add some rickrack somewhere. Don't forget you can cut rickrack with your Cricut too........ Use that Cricut for something....be creative....and have fun!

This was a fun challenge to work with...love sketch that was provided.

Now, I need to get busy on my project for my upcoming Fantabulous Friday segment...hope you will join me at FCCB this Friday!

Thanks for dropping in and I'll see you soon.

Until next time,

Tanya



Thinking of You....

Good Morning!

Hope your Monday morning is off to a great start.

School is out here in honor of President's Day and it's a warm, sunny 74 degrees..beautiful day!

After posting this, I am off to a picnic at the playground with my hubby and granddaughter...what a great way to spend an afternoon...God is good!

I made this card to enter the Saturday Challenge at 365 Cards.

I love the paper I used for this card!

*Paper - sei "Black Orchid" stack

*Butterfly - Cricut "Sentimentals" cartridge cut at 2 inches

* Mat - Nestabilities "Label 6"

The border across the bottom is from a MS punch and pearls are from my stash.

Side view of pop-dotted butterfly.

Hope you enjoyed and thank you so much for stopping by.  I have to tell you, I truly love reading all the sweet comments you leave, they really make my day!

Off to my picnic!

Until next time,

Tanya

 



I don't do mornings.....

...until I've had my coffee.

And sometimes...not even after I've had my coffee...lol!

I thought this sentiment was perfect the card I chose to enter this week's challenge at

Cricut Cardz Challenge #62.

Here's the challenge for this week:

We're calling our challenge for this week...Cup of Cheer. For Challenge #62 we'd like to see your cards using a cup image from any cartridge. You may use any colors you'd like

Here's the recipe for my card:

* Paper - Nana's Kitchen from DCWV

* Table - actually the desk from Cricut's Sentimentals cartridge...I cut the shadow feature twice, glued them together for some dimension and inked the edges for that worn, but loved look!

* Chandelier - from French Manor, cut 3 times at 2 inches.  I spritzed it with Glimmer Mist and added gems for a shabby chic look.

*  Coffee pot - This cut is from Cricut's "From My Kitchen" cartridge, cut at a tiny 3/4 inches.

* Coffee cup - this is also from "From My Kitchen" and is part of the tea pot and cup from page 35.  This was cut at 1 1/2 inches and covered in Glossy Accents for some shine.

* The mat for my sentiment was cut from Nestabilities "Label 6".  and I'm sorry, but I don't know the name of the stamp company.  It is part of a set and the label is missing... sorry....

I popped up pretty much everything with lots and lots of pop-dots...

This was a fun card to put together!  Hope you enjoyed it and thanks for stopping by!

Until next time,

Tanya

War Eagle.....

 Hello Everyone!

Hope it's been a good day for you.  I'e been lazy today and haven't accomplished much more than a couple loads of laundry and quick run-through on straightening up the house.

Oh well...as Scarlett O'Hara would say....tomorrow is another day!

I did manage to sneak upstairs for an hour or so and get a card finished.

I had planned on making a card for the challenge at 365 Cards and was thinking about a design last night (when I should have been sleeping).  Then I heard all the news about the gorgeous,130 year old, oak trees at Toomer's Corner in Auburn being poisoned by some loon!

It is tradition at Auburn University to roll these huge oak trees in toilet paper after a big football win.

As you can see, it's a really big deal!

You can read the story HERE about the disgruntled Alabama football fan who poisoned the trees...

what a jerk!

Anyway...all of that to explain this card for the challenge at 365 cards!

My son, his wife and my grandson live in Auburn and they are all, of course, huge Auburn Fans.

Blake, my cutie-pie grandson will celebrate his 2nd birthday in March.  I know this tree thing may not be a big deal to anyone that is not an Auburn football fan, but around here it is major news!

I decided to make an Auburn football themed card for Blake that his mom can keep and maybe put away with the newspaper clippings about all this craziness.  I think it will be something he will appreciate one day, when he is much older...especially if the trees don't make it.

Ok...here is the sketch for the challenge at 365 Cards...

And here is my card....

I used the Boys Will Be Boys cartridge from Cricut cutting the football at 2 inches.

I ran the brown portion of the football through my Cuttlebug using the Burlap folder from Sizzix.

A little ink and a few brads...and there you go....WAR EAGLE!

Hope you enjoyed!

Until next time,

Tanya

 



Spring Has Sprung.....

Are you as ready for spring as I am?

It has been so pretty and warm (high 60's) here the last couple of days that I can't help but believe spring must be just around the corner!  I know that we will have at least one more cold front to move in before spring is actually here.  And, I can predict exactly when it will be...2 days AFTER I move all my potted plants out of the garage....count on it!

One great thing about craft rooms...it can be any season you want it to be!  So, in my craft room....

it is officially

Spring!

I made this awesome flower using Mother's Day Bouquet.

*I used Flower number 7, using six layers ranging from 3 inches down to 1/2 inch.

*After stacking the layers, I attached them together using a brad in the center.

*Then I sprayed each layer (one at a time) with Glimmer Mist (Iridescent Gold) and folded them up towards the brad.

*After everything was dry, I sort of peeled back the layers, curling the ends down.

*The leaves are also sprayed with Glimmer Mist and curled a bit.

*The "Spring has Sprung" stamp is from Stampology.  After stamping, I used embossing powder to give it a shimmery look.

Here's another angle...

I really love the look of this flower and plan on using this method again!

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you will come back soon!

Until next time,

Tanya

Sweetie Pie.....

Good Afternoon!

I hope you are all having a great day.  The sun is shining here and it is a beautiful, warm 68 degrees!

I love it!

I'm supposed to be cleaning up this house a bit today (at least that's what I keep telling myself).

But, I did manage to sneak upstairs and get a card finished for the new challenge at Tuesday Morning Sketches

This challenge was to make Folded Frame card.  Now, I've never tried one of these little cuties, but after printing out and reading the instructions posted there, I thought I would give it a try....

I have to say...I LOVE this technique and don't know why I haven't tried it sooner!

I mean...how cute is this....

I will be trying this method again!

*The pie is from Cricut's "From My Kitchen" cut at 1 1/2 inches.

*The pie crust is embossed with the Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder.

If you are interested in the instructions for making a Folded Frame, go HERE .

Ok...got to get off this computer and get busy cleaning this house...at least make it look like I'm doing something to earn my keep around here.....lol!

Have a great afternoon.

Until next time,

Tanya

And the winner is.........

Good Morning and Happy Valentine's Day!

I want to take just a minute to thank everyone of you who visited my blog during my first ever

Cricut Crawl

for Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Blog!

It was a great experience and I had so much fun.

Thanks for all the sweet comments you left, they really have been fun to read and I appreciate each and every one!

Ok...for my drawing....I used my own version of

True Random Number Generator (we call her Emma)...

All the names went into the bowl.....and the winner is......

Amber!

Amber had this to say on her comment...

                                                                        

                                                                    Amber said...                               

                                                           Super Sweet!

                                                           February 8, 2011 

                                                      Thanks Amber...send me an e-mail at Tdadams61@aol.com

                                                      with your address!

That's all for now...got to get ready for Emma's Valentines Day Party at school!

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Until next time,

Tanya



Tuesday Morning Stetches Challenge

Wow...two cards and two posts in the same day!

I told you that I spent my whole day playing in my craft room.  But that's ok, tomorrow will be busy

with church and church-related activities...and then there's.....MONDAY....

I have really slacked off on taking part in all the wonderful challenges out there in blog land.

After posting my turtle card today, I spent a few minutes (ok...so it was an hour) checking out some of my favorite blogs.  I came across this sketch challenge at Tuesday Morning Sketches...



...and I thought...why not?

I have admired all the fans I have been seeing others (more craftier than I) using on their projects.

So...again...I thought...why not?

I love the look of the fans, however...they would work out better if I had a third hand!

It's not a difficult process, just sort of clumsy (or maybe that's just me).

The stork is cut from Cricut's "Wrap It Up" cartridge at 5 1/4 inches.

I used my Cuttlebug and Divine Swirls on the body of the stork and Swiss Dots on the wings.

It might not be a winner, but it did accomplish a few things:

1. Got me to use a cartridge that I had not tried out.

2. Gave me a chance to try a new technique.

3. Gave me an hour or two of crafting bliss!

Not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

Don't forget that on Monday, I will be drawing the winning name for April Showers!

You still have time to enter the drawing.  Just hop over HERE.  Leave a comment on my

Valentine Mini Album and become a follower if you haven't already.  Last chance to enter is

Sunday, February 13th at midnight!

As always....I appreciate the time you spend with me and the comments you leave!

Until next time,

Tanya

Blinged-Out Paisley Turtle....

Good afternoon...hope everyone is having a great weekend!  My Saturday has been lovely.  I have stayed in my jammies all day and played in my craft room all day long!  And, as if life couldn't get any sweeter....I am having a Mocha Frappuuccino and Dove chocolates as I post this.......aaaahhhhh.

Life is Good!

(written in the color of Chocolate)

I have finished up with Valentines cards and am a bit tired of red.  So...I decided it's time to move on and start thinking of bright, sunny spring colors!  I pulled out my Paisley Cartridge and have been playing with it pretty much all day.

Once you start with the bling, sometimes it's hard to stop!

* I cut this cute little guy twice at 3 1/2 inches and pop-dotted the two pieces together for some dimension.

* Then, I went crazy with my gel pen and gave him stitching lines all over!

* Red Stickles make the cherries really pop out and Diamond Stickles on his cheeks give him a sweet look!

* The yellow mat is from Sweethearts page 74.  I cut this at 4 3/4 inches, then added black stitching lines with my gel pen.  Hot pink gems were the finishing touch for the mat.

* I'm not sure what I will use this card for, so I left the inside blank for now...

I love the look of all these bright, bold colors on the black hounds tooth background.  It just seems to make everything stand out.

Hope you enjoyed my card.  I'm heading back upstairs to my craft room with a fresh stash of chocolate...

Until next time,

Tanya





Valentine's Banner Card....

Good morning everyone!

Hope you are all having a good week so far...if it's been a bit bumpy, just remember that the weekend isn't too far away. Hang in there!

My week has been pretty good so far...we are all well (yippee) and hopefully the rain is on it's way out of here and the sun is actually shinning...life is good!  I also started off my week with my first ever

Cricut Crawl!

What a great way to start my week, I had so much fun!  You still have time to become a follower and leave a comment to qualify for the drawing I will have next Monday.  I will be giving away the April Showers Cricut Cartridge.  Just check out the post below this one for the details.

I have a cute little Valentine's Day card for you today.

This is one of those long, skinny cards...measuring 4 X 8 1/2 inches.  This size was great for the banner I chose to make.  The patterned paper is from K&Company.

* Cricut's Straight From the Nest cartridge was used for the banner.  I used the shadow feature and cut the banner pieces at 2 1/4 inches.

* The letters were cut from Cricut's Paper Lace cartridge at 1 inch.  I covered them in MS glitter.

*  Gems were added to the top part of each banner piece.  I strung the banner together using heavy crochet thread in black.

* I used a cute heart border MS punch for my white mat before adhering the banner.

*  I found these cute little heart-clothespins on the Valentine's aisle at Michael's and thought they would be perfect to "hold up" my banner.  They were sort of a washed out red color, so I added a touch of red Stickles glitter glue and took care of that problem!

Close up of the bling!

The clothes pins make it all but impossible to put this card in an envelope...but this one is for my hubby, so it's ok!  I'll just leave it out on his desk and he'll find it eventually!

Have a great day!

Until next time,

Tanya

Fantabulous Cricut Crawl - Share The Love

Welcome to Nonna's Craft Corner and the fourth Fantabulous Cricut Crawl...Fantabulous Cricut's version of a blog hop! 

Valentine's Day is in a week and everyone at Fantabulous Cricut has decided to Share the Love!   Each Design Team member will be featuring an original Valentine-themed project that includes the word LOVE somewhere on it.

If you've come from visiting Sharon at Ladybug Designs, you're in the right place! If you've just happened across my blog and would like to play along with our Fantabulous Cricut Crawl, start HERE.

Make sure to check out each DT member's blog for some awesome inspiration! There will be PRIZES along the way at some of our DT members' blogs, AND there will be a Grand Prize up for grabs at FCCB for one participant that submits a "Share the Love" project at FCCB!

How fun is that?

Ok, now on to my project!  I decided to make a Valentine's Mini Album to keep a few pictures of  my two favorite Valentines...my grands...Emma and Blake....

I started this project with a $1.00 chipboard album from Michael's.  The paper is from K & Company and all of the cuts are from the Cricut Cartridge Sweethearts with a few labels from Nestabilities Die Cuts.

For the cover of the album, I cut the Love sentiment from page 34 at 2 3/4 inches.  I covered the red portion of the cut in MS glitter and adhered it to the white layer.  Then I covered the whole thing with lots and lots of Glossy Accents. I loooove Glossy Accents...it seals the glitter in place and gives that nice glossy appearance.

I also added a few buttons at the top and bottom of this page.  I used a product that is new to me...thanks to Joy Sikes from the Cricut MB.  The thread in the white buttons is called Memory Thread and holds it's shape when you twist it around.  I just twirled it around a paintbrush and there you go...cute little curly-ques.  I love this stuff...thanks for the info Joy!

For pages 1 and 2, I used the cute little puppy suffering from Puppy Love on page 44 of the handbook.

He was cut at 2 1/2 inches.  I used black gems for his eyes and a bit of Glossy Accents on the heart.

The Puppy Love sentiment is cut at 1 1/4 inches and covered in Stickles glitter glue.

Here's a closer look at this sweet little puppy: notice the rhinestones on his collar!



To finish up the pages, I added mats with gel pen "stitching" and heart shaped brads that I also covered in Stickles glitter glue...you just can't have to much glitter!

Pages 3 and 4...The Cupid Pages!  For these pages I used Nestabilities "Big Scalloped Squares" to cut the photo mats.  I ran them through my Cuttlebug using the Polka Dots folder and inked up the edges.  The little hearts that are scattered over the pages are from the Layers Feature on page 72 of Sweethearts.  I used Stickles glitter glue to add some bling!  The sentiment is from an old stamp set that I had on hand. I stamped it onto a mat made from Nestabilities Labels 11 and added some dots from my gel pen.  The cute little cupid is from page 33 and I glittered him from head to toe!  Then I added not one, but TWO coats of Glossy Accents.  It took awhile to dry, but he is so cute and shiny now....

Isn't he a cutie?

Pages 5 and 6 are decorated with the lock and key found on page 71 of the Sweethearts handbook.  They were cut at 2 1/2 inches.

Of course I glittered those also!  I added a bit of ribbon to the corners of the photo mats, then added a few gemstones to the ribbon...bling, bling!  Large gemstones at each point of the page finishes up these pages.

For the back cover I used the scalloped heart on page 72 cut at 4 1/2 inches.  I added "stitching lines" to the smallest heart with my gel pen.  The xox in the center of the heart are from page 36.  This cut was made at 1 inch, glittered and covered in Glossy Accents.

After putting the finished pages together, I cut pieces of red, pink and white ribbon and tied them to the metal ring for a flash of color and style!


I hope you have enjoyed seeing my Valentine Mini Album.  It was really a lot of fun to put together.  Any day that I get to play with glitter and gems is a good day!
I really appreciate you taking the time to stop by and spend a few minutes...and so I have a little something special for you...... In honor of my first ever Cricut Crawl, I am giving away the Cricut Cartridge
April Showers!

If you would like a chance to win this fabulous cartridge, I need you to do 2 things:

#1 - Become a follower of my blog if you are not already a follower.
#2 - Leave a comment about today's post along with a way for me to get in touch with you.

That's it...easy-peasy!
You have one week to enter. I will draw a name and announce the winner on Monday, February 14th.

I want to thank you all again for stopping by.  This was my first Cricut Crawl and I hope to do it again...I had a blast!  Now, go see what goodies await you when visit with:

Valerie at  http://craftygolucky.blogspot.com/.

Until next time,

Tanya